Join us for our June meeting, where our experienced panel will share their experiences with choosing, implementing, and maintaining quality in their manufacturing operations.

Curt Lopez, Missouri Enterprise, panel moderator

Mike Miller, Webco Manufacturing

Steve Shockey, Evans Evco

Dave Thornsberry, Computech Manufacturing

Tuesday, June 12, 2012
7:30-9:00 AM 
Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas

Cost is $15 for members and $25 for guests. Guests may attend 2 meetings before having to join as a member.  Sign up by June 8 by clicking here  or contact Donna Gordon at 816-304-7958, or donna@kcmn.org

Our 3 panelists who will share their experience and will discuss:

•          What quality certifications have value for my business? –

•          How do you ensure that quality programs attain what they are supposed to?

•          Best practices in the implementation and maintenance of quality programs.

About our panelists:

Curtis Lopez, Project Manager, Missouri Enterprise

Curtis has more than 20 years industry experience as an organizational development and management consultant in the areas of quality management, strategic planning, and quality systems auditing as well as quality systems training and development.  Curt provides quality management consulting, training and services for manufacturing and service organizations spanning a variety of industries. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Total Quality Management, with an emphasis in Manufacturing Management, cum laude, from Newman University in Wichita, KS.  He is senior member of the American Society for Quality (ASQ), a certified Zenger Miller instructor, a RABQSA certified Quality System Lead Auditor (Q06923) and has successfully completed the ISO 9000 Assessor/Lead Assessor examination.

Mike Miller, Certified Manufacturing Engineer (CMfgE), Plant Manager, Webco Manufacturing, Inc.

Webco Manufacturing Inc., an Employee Owned Company, is a proven supplier with outstanding quality and delivery performance for OEM’s in the custom, production, and industrial fabrication industry, including aviation ground support, construction equipment, custom air handling and cooling equipment, mining, structural products, trucking, and waste water treatment  Equipment and processes to meet customer requirements includes state of the art lasers, CNC brakes, rolling, sawing, welding, robot welding, CNC machining centers, and APQP and PPAP documentation. Qualified processes are in place for mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum and Domex.  Striving for unsurpassed customer service and satisfaction, Webco Manufacturing Inc. has achieved some of the highest accreditation in the industry including ISO 9001:2000 registration since 2005.

Steve Shockey, President/Owner, Evans/EVCO

Evans/EVCO began in 1930 as an industrial paper, office supply and packaging material company, and is now a leader in pressure-sensitive materials (tape) and adhesives as well as packaging converting.  The company offers die cutting, slitting, printing, laminating and foam converting to meet the most demanding of tape and packaging applications.  Evans/EVCO is a preferred vendor to companies in the aerospace, automotive and transportation, printing, food and drug, and general manufacturing and distribution industries throughout North America. The company is committed to conformity with the ISO 9001:2008/AS9100 quality management system requirements. Steve has been active in the business for 34 years, and holds a B.S. BA degree from the University of Missouri – Columbia, and an MBA from the University of Missouri – Kansas City.

Dave Thornsberry, Quality Manager/QMS-ISO 9001, Computech Manufacturing

Computech Manufacturing provides custom manufacturing services, including engineering services, automation equipment design and build, custom machining, CNC Milling & Turning and complete CAD/CAM Capabilities.  Products include ergonomic tooling and equipment for the automotive sector, thermoelectric microclimate systems, aircraft tubular products and specialty machines and processing equipment.  Computech’s microclimate system concepts were incorporated into the NASA’s liquid cooling system that astronauts use during takeoff and re-entry. Under Dave’s leadership, the company successfully achieved registration for ISO 9001:2008 without exclusions including several successful follow-up surveillance audits, and is fluent with FDA GMP Part 820 medical device Quality System Regulations as well as AS9100.

Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center and Missouri Enterprise  are our Network sponsors. The event is open to area manufacturers and their suppliers. We invite you to join with us to make KCMN the premier resource for manufacturers.

Contrast Equipment Company
1449 N. Topping Kansas City, MO 64120
May 15, 2012
10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Please RSVP by phone or email to:  Deb Gallant / Phone: 816-241-2412 / Fax: 816-241-4134 / Email: dgallant@contrastequipment.com

Call for directions and hotel recommendations.  Light food & beverages will be served throughout the day. Vendors will be on hand to display new products.

Fire salvage items will be available for sale on Saturday, May 12, 2012, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.and again during the open house. Visit our website, http://www.contrastequipment.com/ Demo/Preowned page for pictures. First come-first serve. Cash or charge card only accepted.

How do you keep up with the competition, especially when your competition’s labor costs are a fraction of yours half a world away?  For A&E Custom Manufacturing, their response has been to take the competition head on.  A & E has invested in state of the art robotic technology to augment the talent of their workforce, and to provide competitive cost and scale to their customers.

The tour will feature:

• The company recently installed an Amada Astro NT robotic bending cell that operates completely unmanned, and features loading, gage checking, part positioning/indexing, multiple bends, and automated stacking.
• Amada CNC press brakes
• Laser cutters with automated blank and cut sheet removal
• Laser cell with robotic part removal
• Robotic welding cell

A & E will discuss their automation journey with attendees, and provide a shop tour to demonstrate their processes and improvements made in the last several years.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012
7:30-8:45 AM
3150 Chrysler Road, Kansas City KS 66115

Please bring safety glasses or sunglasses to wear for the tour, as protective eyewear is required on the shop floor.  Closed toe shoes are also required.

Cost is $15 for members and $25 for guests. Guests may attend 2 meetings before having to join as a member.  Sign up today at BY CLICKING HERE , or contact Donna Gordon at 816-304-7958, or donna@kcmn.org

AGENDA

7:30 AM  – This meeting will be structured with a flexible start time.  A & E will provide an overview and presentation of the company and their operation, and will take small groups on tour on a staggered basis, with the last tour to begin around 8:15.

A&E Custom Manufacturing is a quality metal fabricator founded in 1959, and is now a premier source for one-of-a-kind, short and medium run fabrications.  A&E specializes in: Tool and die-making for the metal stamping industry, Medium- to large-run precision stamping production, and Custom sheet metal fabrication.  To serve their customers, the company continually updates equipment and process technology, and has installed current state-of-the-art automated laser cutting and forming equipment. A&E was recently featured in The Fabricator, you can read the article here.  Customers include:  signage and display companies, architects, mechanical designers, inventors, and the food processing, transportation, medical and agricultural industries.

Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center  and Missouri Enterprise are our Network sponsors. The event is open to area manufacturers and their suppliers. We invite you to join with us to make KCMN the premier resource for manufacturers.

Due to our need to cover the event costs, no shows will be billed. Cancellations will be accepted no later than 3 business days prior to an event. Cancellations of reservations paid by credit card will be assessed a $10 processing fee by the registration service, or contact us for event credit for a future event.

Get the whole company involved.  Drew Lericos from Robbie Manufacturing follows a stage gate process that includes a development team from diverse areas of the company, from sales, marketing, production, procurement and human resources where all have input throughout the process.  Jason Grove from Dimensional Innovations discussed their internal process innovation team who works in parallel with the manufacturing team to develop new products as well as custom projects.  While Steve Hall from Boelte-Hall noted that they are less formal in their process, all functional areas are responsible for continual innovation, as they operate in a rapidly changing market, where their top customers are buying products and services that were not even offered by the company 3 years ago.

Make your message consistent. A real challenge to the process of product development is finding the balance between encouraging enthusiasm from all areas of the company and making sure that customers aren’t getting confusing messages, and competitors aren’t getting a front row seat to your new strategy.  Boelte-Hall uses a color coding system to note confidential projects to all employees.  All three companies noted it’s important to make sure that the sales force is educated/trained on the new products, and can learn to approach different buyers within the same company.  The key to getting sales staff on board is for one or two sales people attaining success with a new product or market, which then helps the rest of the team realize that they too need to get on board or miss the boat.  Overall, internal marketing is just as important as external marketing.

Expect flexibility in the budgeting process.  Regardless of the process used, knowing the true cost for a product development process can be a challenge.  There are specific costs, such as equipment purchases, education and training, product development personnel time and raw materials.  It is more difficult to measure the opportunity cost, of time spent on one product when there are competing priorities for everyone’s attention.  Something that is projected to have 3 trials may end up needing 8.  However, there are federal R & D tax credits available, so documenting and tracking costs is an important part of the process.

Listen to your customers – sometimes.  While getting customer input throughout the process is important, it is also important to think about unmet needs that customers may not be telling you about.   Robbie has found success by taking a product that solves a problem in one area, that can also be used to solve a different customer problem with minor changes.  Steve Hall from Boelte-Hall noted that conversations with customers indicated they had no interest in a new process Boelte was considering. Boelte-Hall invested anyway and now those same customers buy products using that process on a daily basis.  While all 3 companies vary in their depth of research, they all agree that some level of customer and market research are important to guiding the both the decision to move forward, and the changes that need to be made along the way.  The key is to focus on solutions, vs. preferences.

Failure is an option.  Some product introductions may not meet expectations.  Drew Lericos from Robbie noted, “if your culture does not permit failure, you will not succeed at innovation”.  Jason Grove from Dimensional Innovations said they try to use the “fail fast, fail cheap” mantra to guide their process in order to try new developments with a smaller scale vs going company wide all at once. Steve Hall noted “Every one of our successful innovations had an element of failure somewhere in its development.” When things do not work out, it’s important to look at what areas can be improved the next time around so mistakes are not repeated.

Don’t give up too early. Lastly, Steve Hall reminded the audience not to give up too early.  In some cases minor changes can make a doomed project viable.  In other cases, it makes sense to consider timing in the marketplace.  An innovation that was not successful one year may be resurrected as market conditions shift in the future.

In this era of I want it now, and it must be perfect, juggling priorities with limited time and dollars is a continual challenge.  Is it possible to combine the effectiveness measures of Six Sigma with the efficiency gains of Lean?  April’s KCMN meeting will feature two speakers who will introduce you to the possibilities, and discuss strategies for accomplishing the goals of both.

Understanding Lean Six Sigma – Scott Gardner, Master Black Belt, MAMTC   Scott has worked with numerous companies throughout Kansas to improve operations through integration of the principles of Lean and Six Sigma.  Scott will explain how both systems can complement each other, and discuss measures for improving both quality and cost.

How Garmin is integrating the principles of Lean and Six Sigma – Luke Goodrich, Product Quality, Garmin International, Inc.  Garmin, the global leader in satellite navigation, has been applying lean and six sigma principles to manufacturing and distribution center operations at its Olathe, Kansas headquarters and in its facilities around the world for years as part of its constant quest to create flawless products and services. Luke will explain how Garmin is identifying opportunities, overcoming challenges, and measuring progress in these efforts.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012
7:30-9:00 AM
Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Minnesota Avenue, Kansas City, Kansas

Cost is $15 for members and $25 for guests. Guests may attend 2 meetings before having to join as a member.  Sign up by April 7  By clicking HERE, or contact Donna Gordon at 816-304-7958, or donna@kcmn.org

About our speakers:

Scott Gardner has a wealth of experience as a Manager in manufacturing processes, material handling, production facilities, distribution centers and facility layouts. He has a very strong background in Lean Enterprise, Operation Process, Office Optimization, Manufacturing and Industrial Engineering. His history in Lean and Six Sigma boast projects that positively impacted the bottom line of the company by millions of dollars. He is educated and mentored to hold an executive position. He has worked closely with the FAA and Government over the past 7 years from a compliance, regulatory, and Safety Management System aspect.  Scott has experience in implementing cellular manufacturing, Kitting, Single Piece flow manufacturing using JIT, Kanban / KanWhip applications, continuous improvement, six sigma, safety, risk management, and team building. Scott designed his current home and his design of his church won a national competition with Morton Builders.

Luke Goodrich has a broad background in manufacturing and distribution center processes, global supply chain activities, industrial engineering, and sales & operations planning. He has extensive design, implementation, and management experience in raw material and finished goods handling, cell manufacturing, on-demand production, distribution center operations, reverse logistics, quality assurance, and root cause & corrective action processes. Garmin International, Inc. is the global leader in satellite navigation. Since 1989, Garmin has designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications – most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin’s products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, fitness, marine, aviation, and OEM applications.

Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center and Missouri Enterprise are our Network sponsors. The event is open to area manufacturers and their suppliers. We invite you to join with us to make KCMN the premier resource for manufacturers.

Due to our need to cover the event costs, no shows will be billed. Cancellations will be accepted no later than 3 business days prior to an event. Cancellations of reservations paid by credit card will be assessed a $10 processing fee by the registration service, or contact us for event credit for a future event. You may register as a guest for up to 2 events before membership is required. For questions or comments, please contact Donna Gordon at 816-304-7958

Missouri Customized Training Program

The Missouri Customized Training Program provides assistance to Missouri employers for the training and retraining of new and existing employees. Your company may apply for funding to cover costs related to classroom training, such as curriculum development, instructional salaries, and training materials.

Eligible Applicants
Your company is qualified to apply if it meets the following criteria:

provides permanent, full-time employment to Missouri residents;
is creating new jobs in the state above the company’s peak employment level in the past year; or
is retraining existing employees as a result of a substantial new capital investment.

Application Procedure
Your company should contact the MCC Institute for Workforce Innovation 30 days prior to the start date of training or hiring to initiate the application process. The Missouri Division of Workforce Development staff will review the application and then notify you as to whether funding will be awarded and at what level. Training may be provided by a Local Education Agency such as MCC, a private vendor, or company personnel.
For more information, contact Jessica Craig – jessica.craig@mcckc.edu 816-604-1560

• Have a plan.  Don’t be piecemeal in your efforts and understand how all of the things you do tie together around your brand or message.
• Have a website.  Make sure the site reflects the image you want to convey, make it easy to reach a real person, and make sure you are able to measure your site metrics.  (Can’t manage what you don’t measure)
• Ask your customers where they want to go, and then help them get there.  Rather than focus on what you can sell them, make sure your solution is the best solution for them.  This may mean re-training or rethinking your sales team.
• Use current technology.  A & E has all but eliminated the use of brochures for video and live demonstrations and utilizes ipads for communication across all levels of the company.
• Network, network, network.  Being involved in organizations both in and out of your industry gives you many more opportunities for collaboration.   No one can do everything, so knowing how to work with other firms to offer your customers a complete solution is a win for both companies.
• Use the media.  Public relations is more critical today when reporting and research budgets are being slashed, and reporters are increasingly looking for content to help them tell the story.  A & E’s exposure in industry publications has brought them new opportunities, as well as re-enforced a positive image they have with current customers.
• Go to your customers.   Steve stressed the importance of looking to current business for growth, not just trying to find new customers.   Make sure you have regular and open communication, and serve as a resource.   One example is A & E has started looking at trade shows  not only in their industry, but at shows that their customers are attending.

Of course many of the headlines revolve around social media.  Social media can be a great vehicle for staying in touch with customers, but is not a panacea, it is just another channel.  Ad Words campaigns typically have little value, unless they can be focused around a particular competency, skill or product that is unique or in high demand.     Bottom line, the value of a particular marketing tactic is only as good as the overall plan that is developed with all functional areas of the company’s input.

- the opportunity to grow your business with shorter lead times

- the need for skilled workers

- the trend towards work returning from overseas

You can view the video by clicking here!